Chapter 2: Change

Class 1-A.

Raine Leister played the pencil with his hand with his elbow resting on his desk and his cheek on his palm. He gazed outside the window where he could see some students who have vacant time walk around the school grounds. The teacher received an emergency call from her family and left them with an activity before rushing outside the classroom and went straight to her office.

“Pres-Chair.” Lovis called from beside him as he leaned towards him. He is his right-hand man in the school. He is also the student council vice president, as well as the disciplinary committee deputy chairman. In short, he is his assistant.

“What?” Raine asked and turned. He saw his classmates were looking for their group to do the activity.

“Have you answered the number 7? We have answered the numbers 1 to 6.” Lovis said and looked at Raine’s paper to see if Raine had answered his activity sheet.

Raine gave them his paper as an answer. They immediately swarmed like bees, surrounding Lovis who was holding the activity sheet. Then, Raine’s answers were passed to the other groups as ‘reference’. He doesn’t mind, though. As long as he can help them and they are all happy.

Well… this school is already happy. Raine thought and looked at the clean grounds and stain-free walls of the school. The wide burnt space in the past beside the school gymnasium was now filled with potted plants with some recycled materials designed by the students who deeply loved art, creating their own made images and different characters. The indoor swimming pool further ahead isn’t filled with moss and garbage anymore, and the water is clear blue compared with the muddy water before.

He turned to look inside the classroom. The seats don’t have any vandals, and even the walls that were filled with curses and erotic drawings before are now filled with different educational posters and some certificates and awards of the reformed students.

Yes. ‘reformed’. The whole trashy and prison-like school that looked like a dumpsite before, like a hotpot with misfits as its various ingredients, was reformed along with its students. Now, from time to time, there are only a few students who are making trouble. Their school is now also participating regularly during the inter school competitions and some events.

How? Because an angel named Raine Leister walked into their hellish school. The supposed to be staining the angel drama didn’t happen. Instead, to their surprise, the angel is actually a dark-stained devil tyrant. The already hellish school became more hellish. However, an incident happened and hell slowly turned for better. Slowly, but surely, the school along with its students gradually changed.

This change happened two years ago, in spring when school was starting…

But this isn’t the time for a flashback. Raine thought when the school bell rang. The classes for today have ended. The class president gathered each group’s activity papers and went to the teacher’s office to pass it and leave it on her table as she instructed them earlier.

“Goodbye, pres! See you tomorrow!” Raine’s classmate said and waved as he left, along with his group that waved at him and left together with him.

Raine just gave them a nod as a response when they waved at him and left to go home.

“Pres-chair, ah.” He heard Lovis called when there were only a few of them left in the classroom. “Are you going to the council office or drop by the disciplinary committee office?” he asked as he fixed his stuff.

Raine turned and put down his pencil. He gazed at the empty but orderly classroom. Was it me who had changed them and this place? He thought. His deep and dark eyes became profound. Or was it me... who changed – he thought as he lowered his gaze. His eyes are filled with complex emotions.

“Raine?” Lovis’s soft voice called, pulling Raine from his reverie.

Raine blinked, then shook his head to clear his mind. What is happening to me? He thought as he stared at his desk. He turned and looked at Lovis whose kind face was filled with worry.

“Are you alright?” Lovis asked. His eyes are filled with concern.

Raine forced a smile. “I’m fine. I’ll walk you home.” He told him and immediately fixed his things.

They didn’t go to either office – the student council office and the Disciplinary Committee office, and went straight home. The surroundings started to dim and the streetlights turned on, illuminating the starting to darken the street. The residents who saw the two of them walking home greeted them.

Raine is pushing his bicycle while on his other side is Lovis. They became best friends during their first year in middle school. When the major change happened during their second year, they became distant, gradually pulling apart from each other. However, they became close again during their third year in middle school and their friendship continued now that they are in their first year in high school.

“Have you chosen which university to choose?” Raine asked as they walked.

A smile formed on Lovis’s face. “I am going to a vocational school.” He answered, then looked at him. “You should go to a university, Raine.” He said. “You can get a scholarship, I believe it!” he told him and smiled brightly at him.

Raine didn’t answer. The youths choosing vocational schools after they graduate in high school is as expected in this district. The is the farthest district as well as the poorest district. Whereas the capital is the richest. The government, however, doesn’t treat them as negligible since they send them competent teachers to look after the students.

Well, only the talented students that might arise in this poor district. Then, they poach them by sending them to the capital to study in the prestigious universities. It is a good opportunity for the students selected. However, they got immersed in the life in the capital and neglected the place where they came from, even though there is really nothing in this place and actually their hometown is degenerate.

However, not on Raine’s watch. Raine has already cleaned up the gangsters that ‘begs' for money from the residents and turned them from being the offenders to protectors, but not making them collect protection fees from the residents. Sometimes, the residents gave them food or stuff instead of money ever since Raine already warned them.

Now, after two years, the community is clean because those gangsters cleaned them under his orders. The walls that were painted by obscene images and other profanities were painted creatively by plants, animals, or manga and novel characters. There were walls that were painted in bodhisattvas’ images or the monk and his three demon aides.

“I will see.” Raine just answered and didn’t speak anymore.

Lovis also fell silent. They walked in silence and bade each other goodbye when they reached the intersection.

“See you tomorrow, Raine!” Lovis said and waved as he ran to the direction of his house. He will be making dinner for his sick elder sister.

“Yeah.” Raine nodded and waved back as he watched him disappear in his sight. He then turned to the direction of the house his mother left him.

Hylie Leister is the name of his mother. She ran away from her family’s house when she got pregnant. She didn’t go to her husband, either. Instead, she went here by herself to hide from both her family, and her husband and her husband’s family. When Raine was born, she did all the chores by herself. The money she spent on raising him and their expenditures were from her personal savings. As he grew up, he never had seen any pictures of his father. However, he never asked his mother. For him, only him and his mother are fine. 

However, she unexpectedly died and so he was left alone with the money left that she saved for him. With this money, he can go to university and be admitted there. However, most of the best universities are in the capital. And Raine doesn’t want to go there. He isn’t an idiot. He knew his mother was from the capital. With his dark hair and fair face, he heard people say when he was young he looked like his mother. When he grew up, he looked more like her the more. And so, him going to the capital where her mother ran away from is like sending himself to the tigers’ den. He is not a coward. He just doesn’t want trouble. He is already satisfied with his life here in Riverside.

However, it seems like life isn’t satisfied with him. Trouble just kept coming. This time, it is a big problem. 

It was already sunset and Raine was walking home when he passed by a park. Suddenly, he heard someone shout.

“Give me your money!” an adult male voice said.

Raine paused. He thought that it was him who was told, but then he recalled that he had been infamous in their community – the Riverside High School. So, who would dare treat him like this?

Raine turned and saw a ginger-haired guy getting robbed.

“Now!” the robber shouted.

Raine turned around to walk away. He felt very tired today and he just wanted to rest. Anyway, someone will come later to save that guy who is being robbed. But, just when he took a step, he stepped on a can. The robber and the person who was robbed turned to him.

Crap. Raine thought as a bead of cold sweat trickled down the side of his face as he looked at them who were looking at him. He froze, then stiffly turned around, and then resumed walking, walking faster than he ever did! Another trouble! He thought, wanting to cry.